Do you think teen books are just for the high school set? Think again.

More than half of all teen books sold are purchased by adults, and the vast majority of them are buying for themselves, according to a study by Bowker Market Research.

Give in to peer pressure (just this once!) and try one yourself. With these recent books’ fast-paced plots, imaginative settings, and intense, emotional relationships, you may just find yourself 40 going on 14.

Boy wizards, sparkling vampires and dystopian futures might be the first things that come to mind when you think of teen lit. But fantasy isn’t just about make believe. By putting teens in situations of power and autonomy, these novels let readers test their limits and explore their abilities in dramatic new ways.

“Seraphina” by Rachel Hartman has dragons as you’ve never seen them before. Talented musician Seraphina must navigate royal intrigue, love and identity in a world where an uneasy truce exists between humans and dragons who can take human form.

The first two books in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, “Cinder” and “Scarlet,” take a beloved fairy-tale to a place you’ve never imagined. In a plague-ridden future Beijing, Cinder, a cyborg mechanic with a cruel adoptive mother and sisters, may have to save the kingdom to win her prince.

Art student Karou seems edgy and cool because of her blue hair and her sketchbook full of monsters. What nobody realizes is that her hair grows that way, and that the monsters are actually her family. Check out “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” and “Days of Blood and Starlight” by Laini Taylor for Karou’s fantastic adventures and forbidden love.

In “The 5th Wave” by Rick Yancey, earth’s human population has been decimated by alien attack. Cassie, determined to escape an alien assassin and rescue her brother and Zombie, an athlete drafted into the military, try to create lives for themselves in an unrecognizable world.

This is going to be a hot title — expect to see promotions of “Hunger Games” proportions.

Fantasy isn’t all there is to teen literature.

These gripping historical novels bring the past to life with stunning settings, compelling ambiance and an immediacy that transcends the time period.

For a good laugh don’t miss “Dodger.” With his characteristic wit and humor, famed author Terry Pratchett takes on Dickensian London (and even Dickens himself) in this rollicking story of a sly young sewer scavenger who finds himself bound up in a mystery when he rescues a damsel in distress.

Josie is desperate to escape her dangerous, dead-end life in New Orleans’ seamy 1950s underworld. But can the daughter of a prostitute, faced with a murder investigation and a mob debt, ever realize her dream of attending Smith College? “Out of the Easy” by Ruta Septys is a can’t-miss suspense novel saturated with mystery, atmosphere, and romance.

“Code Name Verity” by Elizabeth Wein is an edge-of-your-seat thriller full of twists and surprises. During World War II, a British fighter plane piloted by a woman crashes in Nazi-occupied France. She reveals her story to her captors to stay alive, but she also has secrets to safeguard.

If you enjoyed “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children” by Ransom Riggs, you’ll also love the vintage photographs and setting of “In the Shadow of Blackbirds” by Cat Winters. It is 1918, and Mary Shelley Black’s world is reeling from WWI, the Spanish flu epidemic and the death of her childhood sweetheart, Stephen. Spiritualism and science collide when usually-rational Mary is visited by Stephen’s ghost.

Just like adult novels, many teen books deal with the intricacies of modern life and relationships. On topics like coming of age, finding your identity and exploring the nature of love and friendship, teen books will make you cry, laugh and stay up all night to finish the last few pages.

Have your tissues ready before you start “The Fault in our Stars” by John Green. Brilliant teenager Hazel is willing to silently accept her terminal cancer until she meets Augustus Waters, a fellow patient who shows her that even a short life can be worth living to the fullest.

Small-town high school senior Astrid sends all her love up to the passengers in the airplanes that fly over her backyard in “Ask the Passengers” by A.S. King. Nobody seems to need it at home; her parents are emotionally distant and Astrid is too afraid to admit her feelings for a girl named Dee.

Astrid’s rich, philosophical inner life will appeal to readers who have ever wanted to live outside the box.

If you love a fast-paced, gory thriller, or if you’re a fan of the HBO show Dexter, “I Hunt Killers” by Barry Lyga is the book for you.

Jazz’s father, now in jail for life, is the world’s most infamous serial killer. When a copycat killer begins a new string of gory murders, Jazz realizes that he might redeem himself by helping to solve the crime. But can Jazz use his killer’s instincts without becoming a murderer himself?

In “Boy21” by Matthew Quick, Finley, the only white player on his high school basketball team, is annoyed when troubled super-player Russ moves into the neighborhood. However, their growing friendship against a dangerous backdrop of racial tension has the power to heal them both.

Looking for more great teen reads? The Michael L. Printz award winners and honor books represent some of the best. Learn more at www.ala.org/yalsa/printz or visit your local Kitsap Regional Library branch.